Following on from this thread, let me ask the question of the lady dopers: would you bear the child of a man who was not your partner? For a stranger for money? For a friend for free or ‘cost’? The child would be yours, from one of your ova, and the fertilisation artificial if you so wish. Suppose also that immediately after the birth, the child is whisked away, not to be seen again for a long time, if ever, in the case of the stranger; your choice in the case of the friend.
Absolutely not. The only way I would bear a child would be if I got to be Mommy. I don’t think I could remain emotionally distant enough from a child to give it up if I wanted to, and I have no intention of trying. Besides, pregnancy has enough potential to mess up one’s body physically, that if I’m going to put up with the risks, I want the benefits–even if they come with sleepless nights, worry, and lots of financial burdens.
I don’t think this is exactly comparible to the other thread for the obvious reason that carrying and delivering a baby isn’t in the same ballpark as donating sperm. But I assume you’re trying to gauge how we feel about helping to create a human being without having any further attachment, and to that I say, yeah, for a fee. I’d sell my eggs in a heartbeat( but, alas, nobody wants thirty-eight year old eggs). Emotionally, I think I could carry a baby and give it up, but it’s not something I’d *physically * want to do, unless of course I was going to keep it.
If a close friend or family member asked, I would sure think about it. If, for example, my sister decided she wanted a child, and couldn’t have one.
I don’t think I could. I would happily donate eggs to a loved one, but I don’t think there’s any way I could carry a child and then give it away.
I would either give/sell my eggs, or be the carrier of someone else’s baby (not my egg) for money. I don’t know why I make that differentiation. I just do.
I agree. Women can’t just eject an egg into a cup and hand it to someone. And carrying a child for nine months is a much larger commitment. In my thread I was interested in men’s views on it because it is so easy to more or less just hand someone a kid.
No, no, no, no, no!
I bore one child already. He’s the most wonderful beautiful thing I ever did. But it was a hard pregnancy and an ever harder delivery. No more children will come forth from this body.
I might have considered donating eggs, but now I’m getting a bit old for that.
Don’t you think you should…you know…be more entertaining?
I mean, boring one child for no particular reason isn’t any fun.
Unless you’re drilling to find a fuel source. Then by all means, I’ll get you a new bit.
Absolutely not. I don’t want children at all, whether in or out of my day-to-day life, and I don’t want to go through pregnancy.
If it was for a close friend or my sister who otherwise wouldnt be able to have a child, then in a heartbeat. Purely for money? No thanks. At least with a friend or my sister I would still be able to see the child every once in a while, and I would be able to give them something that they themselves otherwise wouldnt of had.
You totally scared me… bore is just fine! I thought I was going nuts. 
No.
I bore two and was not good at it at all. My OB insisted on tying my tubes rather than my husband getting himself fixed because it was my body that wasn’t good at making babies, not his.
I’m not at all sure that I could carry a baby and then give it to someone else, even if it were a good friend or a sister. I would not donate or sell my eggs, and I wouldn’t carry a baby for money. The only possible scenario would be having a baby out of love.
However, the point is quite moot, since I probably shouldn’t have any more kids. Two was enough for this body.
If I were of an age and physical condition to do so, I probably would for a family member. Not for a stranger, though. It’s a moot point, though, since I now lack certain necessary functionality.
No.
Emotionally I might be able to (but there’s really no way to know without it happening), but if I choose to go through pregnancy, not to mention the labor, it’ll be for my baby and my family.
As with others, I’d probably consider donating eggs but would not carry a baby to term. Donating eggs offers that level of confidentiality and detachment which giving birth to a baby wouldn’t.
For the record, don’t have any children, don’t plan on having any.
No my babies are only for me. I don’t have any, but I still get very upset at the thought of someone taking one away from me.
Absolutely not.
I have no problem donating eggs (even if though it is a much more involved process then giving sperm). Bloody Men! (I am probably undesirable because of smoking and age but I have to say my child shows I have good eggs!). I don’t think I could carry someone elses pregnancy unless it was a very good friend or family though. Being pregnant sucks.